BY SCOTT MORGANROTH
If you build it, they will come!
Indeed, these are the legendary words that make Field of Dreams one of the greatest movies of all-time!
This finally became a reality for Candy Ebling and I on Halloween Weekend as the 2021 World Series was winding down.
There was no fitting ending to baseball season then to take the trip to Dyersville, Iowa., and take this off our bucket list.
The road to Dyersville took an interesting twist as I had aspirations of covering the Michigan vs Michigan State game in East Lansing on Saturday, October 30, but do to high demand, I was turned down.
I told Ebling that I’ve never been happier for a turn down because I knew The Field of Dreams Movie Site was on the bucket list and this was the perfect time to go.
The Fall Classic was going on and the weather was sunny in the 50’s on a beautiful Autumn Day.
We decided to go to watch the football game in Racine, WI and then made the trek to Iowa around 3:30 PM local time. We arrived in Dyersville at 6:30 PM and decided to check out the movie site in the evening before we found a hotel and ate dinner.
What a great decision that turned out to be as we saw the field lit up and there was a wedding taking place. Ebling seized the opportunity and took some great night-time photos.
But the real fun began on Halloween when the Field of Dreams Movie Site was open.
We gave a donation as there is no fee, and got out of the car and security directed us to tour guide Craig Purcell.
I introduced myself to Craig and told him that I’m the owner of the South Florida Tribune. I asked him if he wanted to do a video to talk about the movie site. I also asked him where he thought would be a good place to do a Facebook Live.
He quickly contacted his supervisor Roman Weinberg and introduced us. I told Roman what my game plan was by doing two videos, a Facebook Live and following it up with a story. By then end of our conversation, Roman was on board with what we wanted to do and we went to work.
We did the Facebook Live in the Outfield then did a pair of videos in the Farmhouse and the Back Office.
We had two different perspectives of the experiences as you’re going to see viewing those videos.
During the summer, the Field of Dreams Movie Site got a bigger boost as the New York Yankees faced the Chicago White Sox on a separate field. From different vantage points you can see a glimpse of the field plus the lights.
The game was such a success that MLB will have another one as the Chicago Cubs square off against the Cincinnati Reds next summer.
I heard from different people that Chicago White Sox Hall of Farmer that Frank Thomas will be investing time and money to create activities which will be disclosed at a later date.
During this post, I’m not going into too much detail of the videos and Facebook Live because I want you to see them and draw your own conclusions.
This place is definitely a must see for not only baseball fans but everyone in general!
What I will say is that after the experience, I told Ebling that I will take her to Cooperstown, NY., so she can go to the Baseball Hall Of Fame!
I’ve been to these hallowed grounds in upstate New York a couple times and not only have I bought valuable memorabilia, but a lifetime of memories in a town that’s all baseball.
Baseball has put Dyersville, Iowa on the map and like Cooperstown, it’s small town intimate setting is truly tremendous.
What’s great about the Field of Dreams Movie Site is the fact that it’s only three hours away from Wisconsin where I have a lot of family and a few friends. This drive is a cakewalk for me especially since I live in Florida and my average drive to go to a major city is around three hours.
This could be a short little day trip getaway or a night trip, and you can rest assure I’ll find more creative ideas for videos.
Who knows, if the Baseball Gods have their way, I’ll cover an MLB Game.
But I’m not holding my breath on that because if it’s meant to happen, then it will.
Otherwise, I’m more than content to hang out in my new favorite Iowa town and converse with the locals.
The final piece of business we did in downtown Dyersville was we spent about 45 minutes and checked out a small museum that told the Field of Dreams Story. It was the best $5.00 per person we spent. We did it after our visit to the field and the information was extremely valuable!
The background and history of Field of Dreams reinforced what we saw and allowed us to fully comprehend what we just experienced.
We truly hope that you not only enjoy this story, but the Facebook Live and two videos because when it’s all said and done, like us, you’re going to be hooked!
We are and I’m glad that the domino’s dropped in our direction as we replaced a football game with something much better!
Going to the Field of Dreams Movie Site wasn’t a matter of if, but when!
On Halloween Weekend during the World Series, we took care of the when! This is truly a Baseball Mecca!
I do want to take the time to thank the folks at the Field of Dreams Movie Site for all of their hospitality especially Craig and Roman. For a guy that’s made his existence as a writer and a broadcaster, I’ll be talking about this experience nonstop!
To summarize, best of all, when you come to Dyersville, Iowa and see the Field of Dreams Movie Site, you definitely want to watch the movie again!
Scott Morganroth can be reached at southfloridatribune@gmail.com and you can follow him on Twitter @TribuneSouth.
You can see all of his broadcasts by subscribing to The South Florida Tribune You Tube Channel for free.
